Aphrodite and Ares

According to Greek Mythology, most of the gods and goddesses were married, but few stayed loyal to their spouse. They often would have affairs with mortals, nymphs, each other, and other mythical beings, such as nature spirits. One of the more well-known illicit pairing was the affair of Aphrodite and Ares. Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, was irresistible gorgeous, especially when wearing her girdle. The girdle was made by her husband, Hephaestus, the god of forges. When she wore the girdle, no one was able to resist her, which wasn't terribly smart of him because she was irresistible enough without it. Aphrodite wasn't fond of her marriage to Hephaestus because, as kind as he was to her, he wasn't very attractive and the goddess of love was a bit shallow. Zeus had married her off to his unattractive son in order to avoid fighting amongst the Olympians over who would be her husband. Ares, the god of war, was as hot-headed as Aphrodite was beautiful. While Athena, the goddess of wisdom, represented the strategic side of war, Ares was more related to the physical, wild aspect. Two of his immortal sons (Aphrodite was their mother) became the minor gods of terror and fear- Deimos and Phobos. Ares found Aphrodite as irresistible as every other being, and their relationship was one of Aphrodite's longest affairs.
Aphrodite and Ares began meeting in out of the way places, Aphrodite already married to Hephaestus. Their trysts often took place next to springs, in the dips of valleys, and tucked away in glades. Their secret meetings didn't remain secret for long. Some stories say the other gods found out through the whisperings of the grass and others tell of a nosy satyr. However it happened, the news of his wife's disloyalty soon got back to Hephaestus, who, understandably, was not happy. So he concocted a plan to catch the lovers in the act and broadcast their activities to the rest of Olympus. So, he created a net of steel, gold, aluminum, and unununium and hung it above the location of their next meeting. When the two lovers laid down beneath the tree, the net dropped, trapping the two together under it. Hephaestus swung the net over his shoulders and brought his catch to Olympus. He placed the net in the center of the throne room and allowed the rest of the gods and goddesses to laugh at his wife with Ares, thoroughly embarrassing them. Eventually, Zeus and Poseidon took pity on them and ordered Hephusus to let them out. Throughout their relationship, Aphrodite and Ares had several children, including Phobos and Deimos (the gods of fear and terror, and Ares servants), Harmonia (the goddess of harmony and concord), Adrestia (goddess of revolt, just retribution and sublime balance), and Eros, Anteros, Himeros, and Pothos, (the gods of various forms of love, such as attraction, desire, etc.). All in all, the affair of Aphrodite and Ares plays a huge part in Greek mythology, because of the stories that stem from their relationship and their children.